The Wilmingtonian., 1887-02-12
A Timely Suggestion.

Robert @. Justis Esq, Chairman OF the
Grand Jury, presented on last Wednesday
the annual report to the Court. The report
was extended and analyzed the cause OF many
of the existing evils of this community and
suggestion for their eradication were made.
Ballot box stuffiug was characterized as one
of the grave evils of the day and thus refer
red to:
"The grand jury would earnestly call the
attention of the Legislature to the alarming
growth of corruption in our general and pri-
mary elections by the free use of money,
fraudulent counting of the ballots and tine
.tuffng of the ballot boxes, debasing thu
manhood of the voters and rendering Duga-
tory the voice of the peoplt ,ahd would there
fore earnestly urge the present Legislature
to frame and pass such laws as would COM
pletely eradicate this growing evil"
The drain that vagrancy is making upon
the finances of this county was deprecated
and the remedy therefore pointed ont. The
report says:
"Our attention has been called to the year
| ly increasing number of yagrants that are
serious burden to the taxpayers of the
county, At the time of our visiting the jail,
| the department assigned to them was filled
| with lazy, woI thless yagabonds, who make
the county Jail refuge in winter, and ID
summer spread over the country terror and
nuisance to our citizens. We also notice
| that by the last quarterly report OF the TrHs-
| tees of the Poor that about 2, 1O0 meals and
near l, 200 lodgings had been furnisned these
vagrant tramps at the almshouse When
we consider the cost of committing to jail
and feeding them while there, it will amount
| to a sum tn { would astonsh our tax-paying
\ citizens. We want to urge upon our Legis-
| lature the necessity of enactng law that
would compel these vagrants to work out
| the expense they entail upon the county.
| There would be doubtless fewer of them
committed to prison"
| Mr.. D. B. Jones, who has travelled over this
entire country and has been close student
of economic questions, in commenting upon
that portion of the report just quoted re-
marked ''that his experience in Kansas fully
justified the belief that pauper labor could
not only be made self-sustaining but would
also bring positive revenue to the treasury
/ of this State.
He said that every occupant OF the PM.
tentiary of Kansas was obliged to work and
that in that institution every trade was re-
presented and every branch of industry was
carried on. Everything was marked by
a mathematical precision and that the work
was not only well done but was carried on
| in most cheerful manner"
Every pauper, every criminal must work
in Kansas. Ii committed to the penitentary
and are without knowledge Of any form Of
trade, they are at once put in the harness
and taught some branch Of mechanism.
Thee committed to the work house for a
minor offense are allowed to enjoy them
selves in breaking stones for the highways,
blasting rocks, mining coal and such Other
amusements as may promote healthful cir
collation..
That Delaware might assimilate with ad
vantage the ethica of Kansas in her treat
ment of criminals aud paupers, there canno
be two opinions. Iu this State the fruga
and thrifty are taxed to support pauperism
vagrancy and lawlessness. If the preseh
Legislature would devote some thought ane
consideration to this matter it W i'll have per
formed good servic, for the State.